Air-cooled bottled beverage cooler



Fiied sept. 9. 193s 4 Sheets-Shea?l 2 5T Read/f May 13, v1941.

R. s. READ AIR-COOLED BOTTLED BEVERAGE COOLER Filed Sept. 9, 1938 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 May 13 1941- R. s. READ 2,241,558

AIR-COOLED BOTTLED BEVERAGE COOLER Filed Sept. 9, 1938 4:Shee"l.s-Sheell 4 y Patented May 13, 1941 UNITED lSTATES PATENT OFFICE AIR-COOLED BOTTLED BEVERAGE COOLER Roland s. Read, Bloomington, nl.

1 Claim.

This invention relates to beverage coolers for bottled beverages of the dry or air-cooling type. Bottled beverages are dispensed in large quanti-v 4 ties and the rapid cooling of such beverages presents the problem to which this invention is directed. It is generally recognized that the wet or immersion type of cooler is most effective 'for rapidly cooling bottled beverages but this meth- -od is objectionable on sanitary grounds. In fact,

some States have legislated against the use of such coolers. Further, retailers oobject to the continual immersion of the hands in cold water. Dry -or air-coolers for vbottled beverages have heretofore been slow to reduce the beverages to proper temperature and also have had wide variations in cooling vperformance between sections of the cooler. l

The particular object of this invention is to providea dry or air-cooling beverage cooler that is convenient and effective in operation.

Another object is to provide a cooler for bot- Appliontion september 9, 193s, serial No. 229,043

tled beverages that uniformly cools the. bottles i throughout the entire area ofthe cooler.`

A still further object is to provide a cooler rwherein the .bottles may be cooled uniformly throughout the cooler whether they are stored horizontally or vertically or a combination of these `two methods.

Other benefits and the following descriptions and drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a general perspective view of the cooler to show its general exterior appearance, location of door, etc

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional elevation view of the' objects will be disclosed'in Fig. 8 is an exactly similar view of Fig. 7 showing the same arrangement of air ducts for cooling horizontally disposed bottles.

Now referring to Figs. 1 and 2, I designate the generalexterior shell of the cabinet by the numeral I0. Mounted inside this cabinet is-a shell Il and interposed betweenthe shell members a conventional insulating material I2. Mounted within this insulation covering is a liner box i3 having a perfora-tedbottom I4 and a conventional wire shelf I5. It will be noted that thle bottom I4 has perforations I6 extending unl]- forrnly over the entire bottom area of the liner` box. Supporting lthe insulating material under l,be readily appreciated that by the operation oi this fan 2| air is drawn from the interior of the liner box and discharged through thetop horizontal air duct 2 2. From there the air is driver. through the cooling coils 23 and 24 in the ver-- tical air ducts 25 and 25. 4These vertical' ail ducts communicate with the lower horizontal air duct 26 and'this air, cooled by the coils 23 and 2l, is driven through theperforations I6 1 upward through the entire bottom area of the cooler as shown in Fig. 1, showing the general interlor arrangement of cooling coils, air ducts, circulating fan, etc.;

Fig. 3 is a sectional arrangement of the cooling coils as they would appear from the-section lines 3 3 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 4 is a. sectional elevation view similar to. Fig. 2 showing lthe optional arrangement of the cooling coils;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional elevation view similar plan view` of anl optional i to Fig. 2 showing another optional arrangement vof the fan, cooling coils, air ducts, etc.;

` Fig. the optional arrangement 6 is a transverse or end elevation view of of the coils, etc.,- as shown in Fig. 5, as they would appear on the sec- .tion lines 6 6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 'I is a sectional endelevation view similar to Fig. 6, ,but showing another arrangement of Vair ducts for cooling upright standing` bottles; .and

liner box and thence through the openings be- -tween the vertical standing bottles as illustrated. It will be appreciated that the perforations I6 in the bottom Il are properly proportioned to the fan capacity so that thel air' is driven vertically through the lineribox approximately uniformly throughout the entire area of the bottom I4.

A conventional compressor unit 21 ismounted in the bottom of the cabinet and is connected by tubing (not shown) tothe cooling coils 23 and 24. Conventional hinged doors 29 and 29' are hinged to the cabinet shell II, permitting communication to the contents of the liner box.,t Spring retained orsnap type doors 30 and 30'. are provided for communication with the con- 1- pressor compartment; It will be notedV that in a dry type1 cooler of the kindillustrated and described that multiple layers of bottles supported on shelving similar to I5k can be arranged and, therefore, the capacity of a'. dry cooler'of this type greatly increased. This is of considerable advantage over wet chalets fwhich ordinarily I only provide one layer of bottles in the tank with top door communica-tion.

Now referring to Figs. 3 and 4, an optional arrangement of the cooling coil is illustrated. Instead oflthe cooling coils being disposed in the vertical air ducts 25 and 25", a circular or coil type cooling coil is disposed around the fan 2l. It will readily be apparent, that the air discharged from the fan 2| must pass over the cooling coil 3l as illustrated, and exactly similar results will be obtained as described for the arrangement shown in Fig. 2.

Now referring to Figs. 5 and 6 in which there is illustrated a stillfdifferent optional arrangement of the cooler; the particular object of this arrangement is to provide means whereby the fan motor 38 is disposed exteriorly of the liner box in order to avoid the natural input of heat from the motor/ into the refrigerator compartment.

To accomplish this purpose the top of the liner box is completely removed and the bottom of the liner box enclosed in a tapered hood and ian housing 33. Communicating air passages 34 and 35 leading from the -vertical air ducts 25 and 25' are provided b y dropping the liner bottom I1 as illustrated. An air inlet 36- through the fan housing is provided to 'take the air from the ducts 34 and 35. -The fan 3l is mounted on a shaft supported by bearings in the fan housing 33 and the motor 38 attached to this shaft is supported on the outside. 'I'he air from the fan 31 is driven over a large single cooling coil 32 and thence upwardly through perforations I6 of the bottom I4 exactly' as heretofore described. By following the arrows indicating air flow, it is believed that this construction and operation will be clearly understood.

Now referring to Fig. 7, a variation of the construction shown in Figs. 5 and 6 is illustrated. In4 this construction the inside wall of the liner'box is moved forward in order to provide a rear air duct 39. The top of the liner box is completely removed and the rear wall of the liner box is perforated by perforations I3'. The fan 31' has been rotated 90, the shaft now running longitudinally in the cabinet and it will be understood that the motor (not shown) is mounted similiarly to that shown in Fig. 6 exteriorly of ther refrigerator compartment. A slantlng air duct 40 communicates with the inlet to the fan housing 36 and provides a passageway for the air to `be driven upwardly over the coil 32 exactly as described fin Figs. 5 and 6.

Baiile plates 4I and 42 are hinged in the rear corners of the bottle compartments, as shown. When the -bottles are stood on end, as shown in Fig. 7, these baie plates are disposed vertically, thus forcing the flow of cold air over and around the standing bottles.

In Fig. 7 the bottles areshown disposed vertically and by following the arrows and appreciating that when bottles are stood together only a vertical passageway is provided Afor air, it will be understood that the air will be driven vertically v through the openings between the bottles as well illustrated by the air flow arrows.

In Fig. 8 is illustrated the same arrangement of air ducts, fan, etc., but the bottles are disposed in a horizontal manner and the baille plates 4| and 42 are in horizontal position. Now appreciating that when" bottles so disposed greatly hinder the vertical passage of air, it will be appreciated that the air flow has been changed so that the major portion of the air passes horizontally-over the bottles, such air flow being. permitted by the perforations |31 in the rear wall of the liner box. It will therefore be understood that by this arrangement there is provided means whereby the cooling air ows over the bottles regardless of whether they are disposed vertically, horizontally or a combination of both methods, as with the bottles horizontal on the lower shelf and vertical in the upper.

Having thusdescribed the invention, -I now claim as new:

In an air-cooled bottled beverage cooler, a refrigerator cabinet, a liner box in said cabinet for supporting bottled beverages horizontally or vertically, cooling .coils between the liner box and the cabinet walls, fan means for circulating air in heat exchange relationship to the cooling coils, air circulation perforations in the bottom and side walls of the liner box, and hinged baille means for controlling the air flow through the liner box as required for properly cooling the bottled beverage stored horizontally or vertically.

ROLAND S. READ. 

